Healing Hearts
by PublicDisaster
Summary: He was a great ruler, at a time, but that all changed when he pissed a few gods off. Now he is on a mission to get his body back, but the only way to do that is to heal a heart. SessKag
1. Lost

_This is my newest story. I know I really should be working on my older stories, but I keep getting these ideas. Hopefully I will get all of my other stories updated at least once this summer. I have gotten into a more creative mood these past few weeks, so there is a very good chance. I have had this idea for over a year now, so it feels really good to finally have the first chapter done. It is not that long, but that is what first chapters are for, to be short. The other chapters will be longer. I hope you all enjoy this, it is sure to be interesting._

**WARNING: Uh, nothing really right now. **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha, no matter how many unfinished stories I have that star him.

* * *

_They say that nothing ever comes free, that you always pay for it in the end._

_Does anyone actually believe this or do they just write it off as another silly saying? I believe, as do many others, but none as much as one man. This one man now believes in this saying with his whole heart. Many years ago, however, he would have shot the mere idea down without a second thought, but that was before the trial that he had to undertake._

_He was once a great ruler, feared by humans and demons alike. He was elegant and graceful, giving the illusion that he could kill with just a look. Men wished to be him and women wished to have him. He was a man that craved absolute power above all else, to surpass his father tenfold, but with this power hungry wish he paid with everything that was dear to him. _

_He lost everything._

_His home, his land, his respect, but he also lost the most important thing of all._

_Himself._

_He lost himself in all aspects of the word. Not only did he lose his body, but because of what he had done he lost his soul to the cruel and unforgiving world._

* * *

Light from an old temple could be seen shining as the day turned to night. The monks that lived there were settling in for the night, a night that had been long and rough for everyone. The room that held the light was deathly quiet as two figures stood over a bed in the corner by the window. A man and a toad demon stood there, horror written on the small, green face of the smaller figure. The other figure was hard to describe, an emotionless face whose eyes spoke volumes of confusion and sorrow, but only if you dared to look deep enough.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what do we do now?" the small green figure asked, worried for both himself and his master.

The man that was called Sesshoumaru said nothing as he continued to stand over the bed and stare down at its inhabitant. The man that was laying in the bed, unmoving and dead to the world, was in fact himself. He did not know how it had happened, though god knows that he wanted to find out, all he knew was that his body was separated from his spirit, or vice versa really. It all happened so fast and he just now had the time to really think about it. There were only two people in the world that could see and talk to him, everyone else just walked by like he was not there, and this angered him. They should be on the ground, cowering in fear of such an amazing for of power. They should showing him respect, not walking by like he does not exist.

That was the one thing that really made him angry was his loss of power. Without his body he was nothing, just a helpless spirit with no idea as to how to be helpless. There were only two people that could actually see him, and those two did him no good. The monk Miroku was one, and though he was a holy man he was far from pure. He spent his days groping young women and asking them to bear his children. Such a disgrace in the eyes of the Great Lord Sesshoumaru. His servant Jaken was also able to see him, though he had no idea why a lowly servant like him would have such keen perception.

Either way, he was staring down at his body and did not like it one bit, and he wanted someone to fix this before someone important found out what had happened to him. He would never live this down if anyone found out, and they would think him weak, which he was far from, he made sure of that. He even went as far as to get that stupid jewel, something he would never use, but he did not want anyone else to have it. If another youkai were to find it then that could mean the end for Sesshoumaru and his reign as the most powerful youkai in all of Japan. He was rather fond of his title, something that he worked many years for, and he was not about to lose it.

He hunted down the jewel and went through great lengths to retrieve it, and then when he did h had to lose his body. He knew that the jewel had something to do with this, but he was not sure how exactly. Miroku had gone off a few hours ago to do some research on the jewel, though he probably opted for harassing the village girls instead.

"Jaken, go fetch the monk, he has taken enough of my time," Sesshoumaru demanded, though he did not seem as threatening as he was just a day prior, but the toad nodded and scurried away even though the threatening glare did nothing to frighten him this time around.

Sesshoumaru would have taken a seat next to the bed, if he were able to actually sit that was. It was not that he couldn't, it was that there was no point. There was no comfort to gain from it, and the fact that anyone could come in at any time and sit on him because all they would see was an empty chair was more than what he wanted to deal with right now. After a few minutes, or what seemed like minutes to Sesshoumaru through all of his thinking, Jaken and Miroku walked through the door. The monk had a big smile on his face which meant that either he had a cure for whatever Sesshoumaru was currently suffering from, or he had just groped someone.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru. Sorry to have kept you waiting, but I did find out what has happened to you,"

The hope that would have shone in Sesshoumaru's eyes, if he let any emotion show, would have amazed people at the sound of those beautiful words. If Miroku knew what had happened, then certainly he would know how to fix it.

"Well, hurry and fix it then," Sesshoumaru said after a moment of silence.

Miroku still had the smile on his face, which was taken as a good sign and not just him thinking about his latest victim.

"Gee, I wish I could Sesshoumaru, but I am afraid that I do not know how. Only Kaede knows how to do that, and I am not even sure if that old hag is still alive," Miroku explained with very little remorse.

Sesshoumaru tried to slap some sense into the monk, but when his hand went straight through the flesh of the man he was currently glaring at, he once again felt helpless.

"Then go check!" Sesshoumaru yelled, his anger caused by his failed attempt at decapitating the monk.

"It is not that simple, Sesshoumaru. I have duties here and cannot just leave in the middle of a big event because you told me to. If you want, you and Jaken can go and find out for yourselves. Just make sure when you find her that you do not insult her, if you do she will probably just leave you like you are,"

If looks could kill, at that very moment Miroku would be beyond dead, if there was such a thing. Sesshoumaru was not happy at the news, he was use to doing things for himself, but he was also use to demanding something and getting it. He did not want to leave his body unguarded, but he knew that Miroku would not do what he was told, so he had to leave.

"Very well, we will leave first thing in the morning,"

* * *

Morning did not come early enough for Sesshoumaru, not being able to actually sleep, he was forced to stay up all night lost in his thoughts. He needed to make sure not to insult this woman, if she was in fact alive, it was not like he could do anything against her if she decided not to help him. He could order Jaken to take care of her, but to face the facts, very few people are afraid of the toad demon, and for good reason. They started out walking, the village that the old miko was said to be living in was not too far from the temple that now housed Sesshoumaru's body. The estimated time was two days of nonstop walking, which was easy for Sesshoumaru, but a challenge for his small companion that required food and sleep.

"Master, what are we to do if this woman is dead or refuses to help?" the little toad questioned his long time master as they walked on.

Sesshoumaru had thought about that even though he preferred to think that it would all work out the way that he wanted it to. But in all of his thinking he did not come up with a solution and that aggravated him.

"She will not refuse, and if she is dead, then I will find another miko to do the job," was all he said before he stepped in front of his servant and began walking faster.

The rest of the day and the next were silent ones, Jaken fighting to keep up with his master as he was growing weaker from the lack of rest and nourishment. Sesshoumaru knew that the village was growing close when he passed through a clearing with a well in the middle of it. He knew this as the Bone Eater's Well and that signaled the village was just a few minutes from where he stood. He walked on not even bothering to see if Jaken was behind him, though it was not like he ever did.

"Her hut should be around here," he said more to himself as he surveyed the village.

He hated going to villages like this one, all of the putrid smells was enough to make his stomach church in disgust. He walked past many people and the realization of what happened only heightened when they all ignored him. He reached the middle of the village where a group of huts were lined up and decided to check the middle one when he thought he heard the name 'Kaede' come from it. When he entered he could see two woman sitting by the fire in the middle of the room drinking what he could only assume was tea. Sesshoumaru did not bother to listen to what they were saying, but after a few more minutes the younger of the two women left. After the woman left Jaken came into the hut, his face lighting up when he saw Sesshoumaru. The older woman looked up from the fire when the toad demon entered the building and smiled.

"Ah, I see that I have visitors," she said before taking a sip from her cup, now looking at the fire again.

Sesshoumaru was sure that she could see him when she said _visitors _instead of _visitor_, which made him think that this might actually work out for him. Jaken walked over to the woman, a snide look on his face like he was about to make an insulting comment. Jaken looked at Sesshoumaru before he said anything rude, and when he saw the glare that Sesshoumaru was giving off, the comment got lost in his throat and turned into a cough instead.

"Are you the miko Kaede?" the little toad asked when his coughing fit was through with.

"Yes, that would be I," she said, now looking at the small figure in front of her.

"Then you must return Lord Sesshoumaru's soul back to his body," Jaken said, staring at the woman as he waited for her to perform a miracle.

"I am afraid that there is only one person who can accomplish such a feat, and it is not I," the elderly woman said before turning to Sesshoumaru.

"You have angered the gods, and for your punishment they have separated your soul from your body. The only way to return to your former self is to perform a selfless act," she said, stopping to take another sip from her cup.

"What shall I do, give money to the poor? Something of that nature?" Sesshoumaru asked, hoping that this could be taken care of very quickly, he had work to get done.

Kaede laughed at Sesshoumaru's questions, which did not bode well with the demon lord. He felt like she was looking down at him, like she thought herself better and that because she was better that she had the right to laugh at him.

"Oh no, my lord, that is much too small of a deed. No, the gods have something else in mind, something that will take time and effort,"

Sesshoumaru was growing tired of the miko's games and he wished that he could rip her head off, but alas, he was unable to even touch her. Sensing his anger, Jaken took on a stern look.

"Well then, tell us what to do so that we can be done with is!" he all but shouted.

Kaede waved her hand at the toad demon, dismissing him as she looked back to his master.

"Two villages to the East lives a girl who has not had the best life. She is my great niece, Kagome. If you can heal her heart and make her smile again, then you will be able to return to your body, if not, then you will be forced to live like this forever," she spoke with stern, cold words.

"Lord Sesshoumaru does not have time to play such games with humans, he must get back to his lands!" Jaken once again shouted in anger and disgust at the prospect of his master having to perform a deed like that for a human girl.

Sesshoumaru was deep in thought over this. According to the miko he had to find this girl and somehow make her happy again because apparently she had a bad life. Normally he would not even think about doing this, but he was in a desperate situation and he believed the miko when she said that this was the only way that he could return to his body.

"It will be done," was all that Sesshoumaru said before walking out of the hut, Jaken running after him a moment later.

"Hopefully Kagome will not be the only one with a healed heart in the end,"

* * *

In a forest clearing, not too far from the village of the miko Kaede, a young girl sat under a tree with a look of discontentment written all over her face. She was pretty with her long, somewhat wavy, hair and her deep blue eyes. She spent a lot of time out here after the incident that took her happiness away, the day she lost her world. She was attacked in this very clearing, a scar now adorning her delicate face, from when the group of strangers attacked her, kept her from forgetting how much she hated herself. She was saved from any real injuries that day when her older sister came looking for her and fended off the attackers. Kikyou was more advanced in her archery, mostly because she had been doing it longer, and easily defended her younger sister.

After that happened, Kagome felt like she was always being watched, stared at because of the long scar. She knew people pitied her, she use to be so pretty, now no one could look her straight in the face. As time went on she grew more and more angry, angry at everyone that could not look at her with a straight face, but mostly angry at herself. If she had been stronger then she could have defended herself and would not have to rely on her sister to save her from everything.

"If I would have remembered to bring my arrows, then I might have been able to do something,"

But of course she thought of herself as stupid and forgetful because she had left her arrows at home when she went out that night. She only wanted to watch the sun set, something that she did often. Kikyou always told her not to go out alone, and if she did to bring a weapon with her, but Kagome never listened. That is why Kikyou was so much better than her, but she is not mad at her sister, just jealous of how much knowledge that she held for someone so young.

"I just wish someone could like me for me, and can forget about this damned scar,"

And at that moment, Kagome felt something. A tingle ran up her spine, something that she had never felt before, and for some reason she felt like something was coming, though she could not tell if it was good or bad, all she knew was that it would be there soon.


	2. And Then Found

_I am going to warn everyone now that this is not the best chapter. It is sort of a filler, I suppose, but it is very much needed. The chapter is a bit smaller than the first, but the next will be a lot longer. I know that this is not a very popular story, and I am okay with that, but if people could leave some nice reviews then that would be super._

_Once again, I have a new forum. The link is in my profile. That is where I am going to be posting my lemons and naughty stories. I have a major lemon one-shot coming out soon, and it will only be posted on my forum, and you have to be a member to read it. The reason is that I take the age restriction seriously, so that is the only place that I will post it. If you want to see the smut and clips from upcoming chapters/fics that no one else can see on any other site, then join my forum._

_Enough of my shameless advertising. Enjoy the chapter._

**WARNING: Kind of boring, emotional, and just plain sad.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

_Never take anything in life for granted._

_You never know how much something means to you until you lose it, even the most simple possession can mean the world to you once it is gone from your grasp. _

* * *

Sesshoumaru and Jaken walked through yet another forest on their journey to the village that the girl Kagome called home. Jaken was tired of the walking, but he pushed on for his wonderful lord. He wanted to help him get his body back more than anything, he owed him that much. Sesshoumaru had no need to stop for anything, food and sleep was not something that he needed, after all he was only a soul, there was no body to nourish. Sesshoumaru did let Jaken stop to eat, almost feeling sorry for the toad, but shaking the feeling off after a moment.

The village that they were heading too was still a few hours away, and Sesshoumaru wanted to get there so he could perform his selfless act and leave. He did not want to spend a lot of time on this, he needed to get back and take care of his lands, they could not survive very long without him.

* * *

Kagome sat in her favorite clearing, her bow and arrows next to her. She was suppose to be practicing with Kikyou this morning, but she did not feel like going. She always felt like she was not good enough to practice with her, like she was holding her back when she needed help all of the time.

"I just wish I wasn't just a burden on everyone," she said to herself before laying back on the grass.

She stared up into the sky, imagining what it would be like to fly. She imagined how wonderful it would be to get away from everyone, not having people around to look at you funny or to whisper about you. No, she would be free to do what she wanted up there, and she would be happy, alone, but still happy. She could feel how the wind would caress her face, soft and cool, like someone gently touching her face. She would kill for that, but she knew that it was impossible. Flying was not something that humans could do, and no one would ever touch her like that, not with the scar on her face, and there was no way to remove it.

"I guess it is just not meant to be, it is just something that I have to deal with," she said to the wind.

"Being alone is what I want meant to be, nothing can be done about that,"

It was true. Before her accident, she had boys that liked her, a lot of them in fact. She never really gave them much mind, though the attention was nice, but now they wanted nothing to do with her.

"It is just another thing I have to learn to live with," she said before standing up.

She looked around her one last time before going to the field where Kikyou would be training. She was suppose to be training also, but she did not feel like it today. She never really seemed to feel like it anymore, it was just something that she wanted to give up on. Besides, Kikyou was much better than her, its not like it mattered if she improved what little skill that she had. She watched as her sister used her bow with expertise, always hitting her intended target.

Yes, she would never be as good as Kikyou. She would always be weak little Kagome.

* * *

As night fall came little could be heard. People were in for the night, all warm and content in their little houses, dreaming of whatever it was that humans dreamt of. Sesshoumaru did not care for such things as dreams, they did not benefit him in anyway. They had reached their intended destination a few hours ago, but it was already too late to do anything. Since Sesshoumaru required no shelter, they stayed in the forest right near the village. Jaken had long ago fallen asleep, leaving Sesshoumaru to his thoughts. They always managed to come back to what he was about to do, help a human with her heartache. It was not something that he could ever imagine himself doing, but then again, he never imagined himself in this predicament.

He was like that for hours, sitting under a tree thinking about his life. How he had everything, and then with one stupid move he lost it all. Questions poured through his mind, and he played the 'what-if' game for hours, but he never got the answers that he so wanted. Before he even knew it the sun was coming up and the little toad youkai was waking up. The day was starting and soon he would have to find the girl and then some how find a way to make her happy. He would have to study her too see what was wrong, and then when he figured it out he should not have a problem finding a solution.

That is what he was good at, thinking and finding solutions for problems. It took a great mind to be able to fix problems, and a great mind was one thing that he was blessed with.

* * *

Kagome woke up early that morning, the sun keeping her from turning over and going back to sleep. She hated getting up early, it was just that much longer that she had to pity herself. She much preferred sleep, at least them no one saw her and she could dream about how her life use to be.

"I suppose I should start my chores since I cannot sleep," she said as she got out of bed and then dressed.

She needed to go and get water for her mother to do the morning cooking and the wash, so she put her shoes on and grabbed her arrows before heading outside. It was a beautiful morning, the smell was something that always made Kagome smile. She loved to sit outside on mornings that she could not sleep and just breathe it all in. She made sure that she had her bow with her before hading for the small pond near her house. She did not like to go far, and she was glad for the little pond for that very reason. She walked towards a group of trees, the pond hidden just behind them, with a smile on her face.

Though she still had nightmares about this forest, she could never not love it. It was beautiful and just made her feel at peace, as stupid as it sounds after what had happened. As she got closer to the pond and further into the forest, the same feeling from the other day came back to her. Whatever it was that she was being warned about was here, though she still could not tell what the intentions were. She would have to tell Kikyou to watch out for any suspicious creatures and people that might to around. She would also stay alert, just incase Kikyou was not able to feel whatever it was.

"But she probably already knows and is waiting for it,"

It was true, normally Kikyou was very good with feeling the presences of things, be it evil youkai or little baby rabbits. She could always tune into things like that, and even though Kagome had the same ability, it was not near as good. It was just like everything else though, her being the youngest she did not have as much power. Kagome did not mind though, she was use to it and loved what little gifts that she did have.

"I need to get that water back to the house," she said as she quickly walked the rest of the way to the pond.

She dipped her bucket into the water, making sure it was full enough to last them, but also where it was not too full that she could not carry it back. She gave one last look to the forest around her and then made her way back home.

* * *

Sesshoumaru had seen the young girl walk to the small pond. He of course did not know who she was, but he could clearly see why she looked so sad. She had a rather large scar on her face, though she was still beautiful for a human, he could see why it would upset her. The scar was long, and somewhat thick, like someone had tortured her by roughly sawing at her face. It did not appear to be as bad as it could have been, but it was bad enough to make the girl pity herself. He decided not to think about it anymore when she walked away, he had a mission to accomplish so he needed to get to work. First he had to find the Kagome girl, and then he had to work out how to heal her heart, or whatever the miko had said.

"Jaken, get up. We have work to do," he said to the other youkai before he stood up and began to walk out of the forest towards the village.

Jaken followed without saying a word, still tired from the long journey. He followed his master to the village, ignoring the strange looks that he was receiving from the villagers. He knew that they could not see his lord, so the looks were obviously reserved just for him. He did not look at them as he kept walking, imitating Sesshoumaru the whole way. He did not know where they were going, but he knew that his master must. In fact Sesshoumaru had no idea where he was going, he just needed to feel like he was doing something. He figured that eventually if they walked around long enough that they would find this girl, but now that he thought about it, that plan was severely flawed.

He stopped in his tracks, causing Jaken to do the same, not wanting to run into, or through, his master.

"Jaken, go around the village and try to find this girl. Do not let any one know what you are doing," Sesshoumaru finally spoke to his lowly servant.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru. Right away," he said with, giving a low bow before he left to do his master bidding.

* * *

When Kagome returned with the water, Kikyou was already gone. She had left earlier than normal, making Kagome think that she was out hunting for that presence that she had sensed earlier. She had known that Kikyou would have been the first to feel it, she was crazy to think that she may have gotten better at something than her older sister was.

"Of course she is better Kagome, you already knew this, no sense in being surprised," she told herself as she put the bucket of water in the kitchen for her mother.

She did not bother to say anything to her family as she once again left. She could not help but to feel disappointed in herself for being bested by Kikyou yet again. She really thought that she might have been good at something, better than her sister at one little thing. She laughed at herself for thinking something like that. She decided to go out to the forest again, a place that she always felt at ease, well, almost always. She still had her bow and arrows with her as she walked to her favorite spot. She found herself here a lot lately, but she did not mind. No one ever found her here, she supposed that they did not think that she would ever come back to that spot. That just proved that they did not know her very well.

She may have been a bit afraid at first, but not even that would keep her from the place that felt the most like home to her. Yes, a forest clearing felt more like home than her house did. She did not know why, but nature was something that she always had a big spot for in her heart. She felt like she was meant to live outside, that maybe she was really suppose to be an animal, and someone made a mistake when she was born human. She never told any one that, they already looked at her strangely enough, she did not need another reason for it. She kept a lot of things to herself, wishing that she could tell someone.

Some times when she is out here alone, she would talk to herself about all of her problems, her hopes, and even her dreams. It felt good to let it all out, but not as good as it would feel if she had someone to actually talk to about it, someone to sit and listen, maybe even give her advice.

"Kagome, what are you going out here?" she heard her older sister ask, having not sensed her before.

"Nothing, just watching," she said, not caring if she made any sense today.

"You missed practice again," Kikyou said with a small sigh, she just did not get her younger sister at all.

"I know," was all that she said, not even bothering to look at her sister.

Kikyou did not say anything else as she turned around and walked away, leaving her sister sitting alone on the very spot where she nearly lost her.

"I love you too," Kagome whispered as Kikyou walked away, sure that her sister did not hear her.

* * *

Sesshoumaru had walked back to the forest after he sent Jaken to find the girl. He decided that he would wait for the toad to return before he did anything. He needed to know where the girl was so that he could observe her and figure out a plan of action. He did not like going into things blind, and he was not going to start now. He saw the girl through the trees, just sitting there with a bow next to her. He could see the quiver of arrows on her back. He did not picture her as the type to be trained to fight, but then again that may have very well been the explanation to the scar marring her otherwise perfect face.

She looked to be in deep thought, sadness still clouding her face. He watched her for a few minutes, and then he heard a voice come from behind her. He looked and saw another girl that looked like the first, only her hair was straighter and her eyes were different, though only slightly. He could tell that they were related, it was obvious, and he could also tell that the new girl was the older of the two.

"Wait, did she just say Kagome?" he asked himself, not believing that he had found the girl without even trying.

This was going to be easier than he though.


End file.
